Bellator 194's Ana Julaton defends against critics of new style

Former boxing champ Ana Julaton said critics of her MMA style miss a point – she wants to be a well rounded fighter.

“A lot of people say I don’t use my hands a lot, and for me, I really took the time to learn all the different crafts,” Julaton told MMAjunkie in advance of her Bellator 194 showdown with Heather Hardy, a unique matchup in which the two face off in MMA before stepping into the squared circle for a rematch.

Julaton (2-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), a former WBO female super bantamweight champ, hasn’t shied away from engaging opponents on the ground. She might have brought into the cage expectations of dominating her opposition with her boxing, but she said fans discount the things she needs to do to make a successful transition into a new sport.

“As a professional boxer going into MMA, we don’t have the amateur program to try and develop our skills,” said Julaton, who faces Hardy (1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) on the Paramount-televised main card of the Feb. 16 event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. “So I spent a couple of years in a wrestling camp trying to figure out the nuances of that. My last fight, I worked a little bit more on my kicks and also a little bit with the jiu-jitsu.”

For the last part of her camp, however, Julaton has gotten back to what she knows best, and that’s using her fists. Hardy, after all, is a former WBC international featherweight champ. The two share a budding rivalry as boxing standouts who jumped to MMA, and they want to show each other up. With less padding to protect their primary weapons, MMA might give them a chance to do so quickly.

Then again, the fighter who’s done her homework on the mat might carry the day.

Julaton claims Hardy backed out of an initial offer to fight in the Bellator cage this past October, so she’s looking forward to the opportunity. The fact she can get wins in boxing and MMA make it all the better.

For more on Bellator 194, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.